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The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
1997 | Adventure, Sci-Fi
Jeff Goldblum (1 more)
Funny
??? (0 more)
Loved it
This is still my favorite in the series, followed closely by Jurassic World and parts of Jurassic Park (original). First let me say I'll watch Jeff Goldblum do darn near anything. He has a dry wit that is so funny to me. I also loved Vanessa Lee Chester as the daughter, but I really appreciated the other characters commenting on the "family resemblance" because I was certainly thinking the same. Julianne Moore and Vince Vaughn also perform really well in this movie.
This is the first time Ingen brings dinosaurs to America, and we see what Dr. Malcolm has been warning us about all along. Dinosaurs+humans= No more humans. Duh. This is the first time Ingen gets mean, too, because it's no longer run by the kindly but stupendously naive old dude. Instead, we get a greedy, quietly menacing but equally naive manager who only manages to bring mayhem and destruction to the States. Aahh karma.
Anyway, Jeff Goldblum IS this whole movie and it's funny and exciting to watch so................watch it.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Seberg (2019) in Movies

Jan 14, 2020  
Seberg (2019)
Seberg (2019)
2019 | Biography, Drama, Thriller
Tonally awkward drama-thriller hybrid about the troubled life of 60s film star Jean Seberg (ask your grandparents, probably). Didn't know much about her (actually thought she was French), expected something arty and significant about the French New Wave - actually this borders on being another film about the Plight of Black America. Seberg (Kristen Stewart, watchable as usual) strives for significance, gets mixed up with the civil rights movement, finds herself surveilled and then tormented by the FBI.

Starts off quite interesting - Seberg is largely a forgotten figure nowadays, so the story is obscure - but as the thriller elements recede and it becomes more of a downbeat drama, the vitality and interest of the movie fades somewhat. If there is an irony in Stewart choosing to play a movie star looking to be more than just a pretty face in commercial schlock, the movie seems unaware of it. Pretty good performances, especially from Vince Vaughn (now quite well-established as a character heavy), but fizzles out a bit.
  
Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
2016 | Drama, History, War
This is honestly one of my favorite films ever made. I love Andrew Garfield even before he was in this film but then to see him in this film, he just shines. He is a phenomenal actor and while he's the main character, he doesn't take up too much space. It's clear that the story really isn't about Andrew Garfield as Desmond Doss, the story is about Desmond Doss and what he did for his country. I'm not sure that makes sense, but go with me. He gives such a powerful performance that it doesn't feel like you're watching an Andrew Garfield film, it's like you're watching what really happened to Desmond. I think those are the best films. When it isn't about the actors, it's about the story they're telling. When the story outshines the cast, I think that's when you have a great film on your hands. Sure, it helps that this cast was phenomenal - I love seeing Vince Vaughn play different levels of seriousness - but the story is what prevails here.

I think this might be Andrew Garfield's best film and easily one of the best films ever made.
  
Freaky (2021)
Freaky (2021)
2021 | Comedy, Horror
Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton have fun with their alter egos (0 more)
Not funny enough to be a comedy. Not scary enough to be horror. (0 more)
No, not like the Disney version
Some B-movies really pack a much bigger punch than you would expect. "Nobody" is a perfect recent example. But movie karma needs to be balanced with something. Ladies and gentlemen - "Freaky"!

Positives:
- If you are into your "teen slasher" movies, then this is more of the same and features some innovative ways to dispatch the victims. One is certainly no way to treat a fine wine!
- Vince Vaughn has fun mincing around as his alter-ego and Kathryn Newton (soon to be in the next "Ant-Man" movie) is personable enough as the cutie-cum-serial-killer.
- It's always good to see Ferris-actor Alan Ruck on the big screen. Here, he actually plays two parts in the film. (This joke (C) One Mann's Movies.)

Negatives:
- It's flagged as "comedy/horror" but failed to meet my personal 6-laugh test. It's just not funny enough to pass muster unless, that is, you view crude dialogue as "funny". And the dialogue does get ickily crude at some points. For example, when evil-Millie ends up alone with three jocks, there's a line of misogynist dialogue (that I won't repeat) but which sets the level.
- As a Blumhouse production, the horror is ultra-gory which will put off many viewers lacking a strong stomach. But because of the associated black comedy, the horror isn't remotely tense or scary. This might be why the film only got a UK-15 certificate. But my personal view is that, with the violence and the offensive dialogue, the BBFC under called this one, and it should have been an 18.
- There's a lot of schmaltz layered on regarding the relationship between Millie and her mum (Katie Finneran, channelling a Laura Dern look). A store cubicle exchange between Finneran and Vaughn is particularly stomach-churning.
- The movie leaves logic at the door many times. A formulaic post-finale ending assumes a superhero ability to shrug off bullets.

Summary Thoughts on "Freaky": The 'body-swap idea has gone through dozens of movie versions, with Disney's "Freaky Friday" the most well known: it's actually had two outings, once in 1976 with a young Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris and again in 2003 with Lindsay Lohan and Jamie-Lee Curtis. (The latter is a firm Mann-family favourite).

This new version tries a serial-killer twist on the story, which is a good idea. But the movie fails to execute well on the concept. The director is Christopher Landon who did the "Happy Death Day" movies. This is in a similar vein. So teens who enjoyed those flicks might get a fun Saturday night out with this. But, for me, this fell between the stools of comedy and horror and is instantly forgettable.

(For the full graphical review, please check out One Mann's Movies on the web here - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2021/07/03/freaky-no-its-not-remotely-like-the-disney-version/. One Mann's Movies is also on Facebook and Tiktok (@onemannsmovies). Thanks.)
  
Four Christmases (2008)
Four Christmases (2008)
2008 | Comedy
5
6.0 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Christmas, for most of the population who celebrate it, is about gathering with family, taking the opportunity to reunite with loved ones and share in the spirit of the holiday. Most of us do this with great anticipation. But not Brad and Kate, an intensely committed couple, played by Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, who would rather be anywhere but near their respective families at Christmas. So much so, they invent elaborate excuses every year that keep them away.And because it’s always for a good cause, they’re granted a pass by their relatives. This year, they’ll be busy volunteering to inoculate children in some remote third-world country. In actuality, they’ll be vacationing on some tropical island. But the San Francisco fog works against them this Christmas, and they’re captured on camera by a news crew at the airport dealing with the cancelation of their flight, and, of course, there’s no getting away now.

So, why don’t Brad and Kate want to spend Christmas with their families? Well, mainly it’s because they’re products of broken marriages and each of them have two homes to visit. Hence, the title. Brad’s family consists of a bitter old man, played by Robert Duvall and two brothers (Jon Favreau and Tim McGraw) who are amateur cage fighters who take great delight in torturing their attorney brother. His uncoventional mother, a quirky Sissy Spacek, is remarried and Brad has yet to come to terms with a stepfather he knows all too well. Kate’s mother, played by Mary Steenburgen, has found religion and a not-so-angelic devotion to the pastor of her church, while her sister, an earnest Kristin Chenoweth, just can’t say enough about the joys of childbearing.

Brad and Kate, who airily dismiss the idea of marriage and the notion of children, are content to just focus on each other, spicing up their relationship with some sexy role-playing, dance lessons and exotic vacations. But on one Christmas day, traveling from one parent’s home to another, they face their fears four times and discover more and more about each other with each visit. She didn’t know his name wasn’t really Brad. He didn’t know she went to fat camp. She doesn’t know how to give good clues in Taboo. He is inflexible in changing the rules of their relationship. Suddenly, the happily unmarried couple doesn’t feel so happily unmarried.

The movie is good for a few laughs, mainly at the expense of Vince Vaughn’s Brad. I’ve always been a big fan of Vince Vaughn’s rapid-fire stream of consciousness delivery and he certainly has his moments. While it seems like he carries the movie for the most part, Reese isn’t without her chances to shine. Unfortunately, the opportunities are few and far between. Even with it’s stellar cast, the phrase “lighthearted comedy” feels a little generous. It is definitely light, but doesn’t have much heart.
  
Unfinished Business (2015)
Unfinished Business (2015)
2015 | Comedy
7
4.7 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Dan Trunk man (Vince Vaughn), is a man barely holding on. After leaving his job due to being asked to take a pay cut for the second straight year, he ventures off to form his own company and compete directly with his former employer.

After a year on his own, Dan is about to conclude a long-term negotiation and complete a much needed business deal which is essential to the survival of his company and being able to keep his two employees Tim (Tom Wilkinson), and Mike (Dave Franco), employed.

All he needs to do is fly with his team to meet the client in Portland Maine to shake hands and close the deal which will pave the way for financial security and personal redemption for Dan and his team. Sadly he learns that his former boss Chuck (Sienna Miller), is also competing for the same deal. Dan slowly realizes that he may have been used as leverage to allow his rival to up their offer and as was never been seriously considered for the deal.

If this was not enough pressure for Dan, his son and daughter are having issues are school and his wife is persistently suggestion that they send their kids to a private school which forces Dan and his team to fly to Germany to make a master pitch to the head of the company he is trying to do business with,

Their meeting gets bumped and with several events in town, the team is forced to take some serious and hilarious actions in order to find lodging during their stay.

With his well-meaning and yet dysfunctional team in tow, Dan must find a way to beat the odds and save the day for everyone in his life by landing the deal no matter the cost.

The film has some very funny moments and the crude humor is cringe worthy at times but also very effective. What really makes the film stand out is that Vaughn is more restrained than usual and almost plays the straight man.

“Unfinished Business” also has a nice undertone of sentimentality to it that makes the film have a heart and purpose that resonates which is rare for R-rated comedies.

The film is an unexpected surprise with enough laughs and heart to give the enjoyable cast a pleasant if albeit predictable story.

http://sknr.net/2015/03/06/unfinished-business/
  
Freaky (2021)
Freaky (2021)
2021 | Comedy, Horror
More body-switching horror mixed with a bit of comedy. Vince Vaughn was definitely the pull on this for me.

Millie's high school life is derailed when she switches places with a serial killer called The Butcher. She has 24 hours to work out how to switch back or she'll be trapped as a wanted criminal for the rest of her life.

This one... surprised me. I was hoping for an average slasher sort of film, all killer bit of filler, but I actually quite enjoyed the ride on Freaky.

Body swapping isn't a new idea, Big did it, 13 Going On 30, Chucky... sort of. It's a comforting sort of base that gives you room for fun, and in this instance, serial killer and teenage girl was a pretty good combo.

One thing to beware of is that this film is very gory. The beginning starts off as your typical teen horror and moves into the slasher part quite quickly. It's over the top in that ridiculous way that takes away some of the horror factor, and that's how I like these sorts of movies.

When it comes to the acting we get a collection of typical teens, there was nothing that seemed out of place. Solid acting to the expected stereotypes and it absolutely didn't rock the boat.

Vince Vaughn as our menacing murderer was quite terrifying for the moments we saw him in that role. But of course he spent most of the film as Millie. On this point my brain automatically went to the Jack Black comparison in the Jumanji films. His rendition of a teenage girl was great, and Vaughn's was just okay. While both of these roles were over the top, Vaughn's performance was "almost but not quite" and didn't sit right in Freaky.

The flip side of this was Kathryn Newton as Millie. As actual Millie I can't really remember anything about the performance, but as The Butcher there was a definite nutter vibe terminating from her. I'm not sure how they worked on the characters, for Newton the only real guidance was "psycho killer", and I think that left room for a little leeway on this side of the swap.

I was pleased that they took things into consideration during the swap. The struggle of adapting to the bodies was clear and continually there, it wasn't forgotten for the sake of getting on with the story. Millie possessed by The Butcher has a great interaction with another character, and this point is a big focus and heavy on the anxiety to watch because you're caught between a rock and a hard place about what you want the outcome to be.

There is one part of the movie that really weirded me out, I'm sure you'll be able to identify it too so I won't spoil it here. But it didn't feel necessary, it achieved nothing, and felt like it was inserted to get a reaction out of the viewer... exactly as it has here.

Freaky has a good balance between thriller, horror and comedy, and despite the imbalance in the acting/characters I found it to be a great watch. The foreknowledge of the general outcome of a body swap film (because let's face it, we all know how they end) leaves you the time to enjoy the nuttiness of everything else.

Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/04/freaky-movie-review.html
  
Wedding Crashers (2005)
Wedding Crashers (2005)
2005 | Comedy, Romance
In the tricky world of arbitration, John Beckwith (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy Grey (Vince Vaughn), are two of the best in their field. Day after day, John and Jeremy negotiate divorce settlements between many bitter and hostile clients in an attempt to avoid long and drawn out court cases.

As good as John and Jeremy are at mediation, this pales to their real talents as professional wedding crashers. John and Jeremy revel in their ability to crash weddings and in the process scoring all the food, drink and women they can handle as they move from one event to another with ease.

The actions of the two are based on a strict set of rules for crashing weddings that was passed down to Jeremy and have lead to many moments of merriment and debauchery for the duo. The rules are so detailed that everything from cover stories, ways to gain sympathy, and clues for gaining points with the guests are included.

After a very successful wedding season, John and Jeremy are set to take it easy for a while to recover from the barrage of seduction and partying they have subjected themselves to.

Alas, things do not go as planned as Jeremy convinces John to help him crash the wedding event of the year that will have a prominent political figure in attendance. Despite much reluctance, John goes along an in no time, the duo are at the social event of the year.

Eager to slip into their seduction modes, John and Jeremy have concocted their alibis and set their sites a pair of young ladies, Claire and Gloria Cleary (Rachael McAdams) and (Isla fisher). The two are the daughters of rising political figure Secretary Claire (Christopher Walken), who many think may be on the fast track to the Oval Office.

Things take a turn when John agrees to accompany Claire to an island retreat. Seeing the danger and eager to get away from the bizarre Gloria, Jeremy attempts to extricate himself from the situation.

Of course there would not be much of a film if this were to happen, and before long, John and Jeremy are surrounded by vicious boyfriends, over amorous suitors, and enough mayhem to keep the audience laughing.

The laughs come frequently and each situation becomes even more outrageous than the one that preceded it making for some of the most hilarious moments ever committed to film.

Sure the plot is very thing, but Wilson and Vaughn are enjoyable and if you do not mind some crude humor, you are likely to find yourself laughing along at one of the most pleasant comedic surprises of the year.
  
The Internship (2013)
The Internship (2013)
2013 | Comedy, Drama
In The Internship, Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson play Billy and Nick, two men in a profession that is sorely outdated. They are watch salesmen in a world where more people use their cell phones as time pieces than hunks of metal/plastic on their wrists. When their company shuts down because of this, Billy and Nick suddenly realize they don’t have any real skills, other than being excellent salesmen. Nick accepts a job working for his sister’s tatted-up boyfriend in a mattress store, while Billy is recovering from being unceremoniously dumped by his girlfriend after their house goes into foreclosure. So in a desperate bid to find jobs online, Billy stumbles across an unlikely possibility for the two of them: an internship at Google.

The movie plays out the way any other buddy comedy might. They somehow land the gig, fight adversity, teach a few life lessons along the way, and have the tough defining moments for each character. However, despite this formulaic plot, the movie was very funny and entertaining. From the smarmy British intern who spends the movie antagonizing the 40-something duo, to the two’s intern team, there is a great deal of comedy in the movie.

Vaughn and Wilson should be the most entertaining and funny in the movie, but you have to give credit to these two veterans. They really did allow their supporting cast to shine. Josh Brener, Dylan O’Brien, Tobit Raphael and Tiya Sircar all have hilarious laugh-out-loud scenes as Billy and Nick’s intern team. Josh Gad and Aasif Mandvi also steal the scenes they are in during the course of the movie.

Throw in legitimate tech jargon, real world technology, and the fact that this was actually filmed on location at the Google campus, and you have a pretty great movie. The only issue I had with the film was they did not play too much into the intern team’s story too much. For example, there was a nice wrap up for Sircar’s character that didn’t make sense. They talked about her issue some in the movie, but the resolution for her character was just never built up to, it kind of just happened and seemed out of place. But, this could be because I am a guy and don’t pick up on some of those things. My friend that saw the movie with me said I was crazy.

Overall, this movie exceeded my expectations. I came into expecting Fox to be grabbing at the success of Wedding Crashers. But in reality, this movie does well in standing on its. Coming in at one hour fifty-nine minutes, it is a bit long compared to today’s comedy standards, but you will never notice it. I know it kept our theater laughing the whole time. Definitely worth the watch. On my “would I buy it” scale (which has three levels No, DVD and Blu Ray), it is definitely worth the Blu Ray.
  
Fighting with My Family (2019)
Fighting with My Family (2019)
2019 | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Based on a true story, great group of supporting actors and actresses, good dialogue (0 more)
The Weight of Dreams And Expectations - 8/10
Fighting With My Family is a 2019 biographical sports comedy/drama based on a documentary, The Wrestlers: Fighting With My Family. The documentary was directed by Max Fisher and is about WWE wrestler Paige's career. Written and directed by Stephen Merchant, including executive producer Dwayne Johnson, the film also stars Florence Pugh, Nick Frost, Lena Heady and Vince Vaughn.


In 2000 Norwich, England inseparable siblings Zak (Jack Lowden) and Saraya Knight (Florence Pugh) are encouraged by their parents, Rick (Nick Frost) and Julia (Lena Heady) to wrestle in their family run wrestling promotion. Nervous about her first match, they change the opponent to her brother and the experience she has winning, cements her love of wrestling. Years later, their parents continue to manage and run the family wrestling promotion with both siblings helping to wrestle and train prospective wrestlers. Struggling financially their last hope rides on both children getting signed when they are invited to a WWE tryout. The outcome is bittersweet however when only Saraya is chosen. She is now given a "Once In A Lifetime" opportunity but must leave everyone she knows behind as she goes on this journey alone.


 This movie was fantastic! Not just a great wrestling movie but a great movie, period. An emotional roller coaster. The cast was awesome and their camaraderie and chemistry really showed on screen. The writers did a great job keeping dialogue realistic and a plot like life; with its ups and downs. I really didn't think this movie would be that emotional, but it touches on so many themes. It's really a movie for everyone not just wrestling fans. It makes you really feel for the characters and has a way of pulling on your heartstrings in a way few movies do. I almost scored it a point higher but I give this movie an 8/10.